I'm not optimistic, if there are still spots in the lake. The smallmouth were already flourishing there until some idiot dumped the spots in.
And yep, smallmouth are fine fish. I wouldn't trade catching one smallmouth for a dozen largemouth. I am lucky to live where they are common-I can walk out of my driveway, go a couple hundred yards down the road, and be catching smallmouth.
I've been lucky enough to catch several nice smallies this year both in Lake Blue Ridge and Lake Hiwassee. A 4 lb. smallmouth on 8 lb. test line is a world of fun. We fished Chatuge Monday talk about frustrating we had fish breaking all around us most of the morning but could only put 3 spots in the boat. They were nice ones though. We threw everything we could think of at them in addition to free-lining and down-rigging blue herring. All 3 came off free-lined bait. We got to watch a bald eagle for quite a while.
Any suggestions on where to find them when I do make it up there?
Do they park up on main lake points and med-deep timber/cover like spots? I was under the impression they behave more aggressively than largemouths, somewhere between them and spots, but on the whole I'm unfamiliar with them.